Metaphor of the Day

According to the Standard Model, the Higgs boson is the only manifestation of an invisible force field, a cosmic molasses that permeates space and imbues elementary particles with mass. Particles wading through the field gain heft the way a bill going through Congress attracts riders and amendments, becoming ever more ponderous.(my emphasis)

So if you have figured out how Congress works, you are well on your way to understanding advanced particle physics.